I just finished a 10 week program called Y Combinator’s Founders Track where a group of a few thousand startups from all around the world take part in a 10-week program in assigned groups of about 15 early stage startups.
The group is then advised by someone who in our case was a former Y Combinator Startup Founder that had sold his company a few years back and now operates as an investor, advisor, and coach to a handful of startups in his portfolio.
Every Monday at 8:00 a.m. we all got together for a call to go over goals we had set the week before and new goals we were to set out for the upcoming week.
It was actually something I looked forward to, and what I’ll miss most is a small vacuum of time to fill that my partner Carlo and I thoroughly enjoyed.
What was particularly nice about the weekly video calls for me was the following in no particular order of “coolness.”
- Feeling that you’re a part of something bigger than just your startup.
- Humility after many setbacks every startups has to go through makes you “humble” Iron Sheikh style.
- Seeing so much passion and discipline from members of the group made me feel like I am bound to see one of them talk about his/her story on a world stage one day and how hard they fought for it.
- Stubbornness turning into humorousness, due to deliriousness! That feeling of exhaustion making you look like you’re stubborn to critique and feedback but really you’re just fighting to stay awake on the call!
- Styling at 8:00 a.m. I mean if I were to count just how many times I put on a sweatshirt and a Giants cap on with my pajama trousers on the second half of my body – no more comment needed there!
- That tribal feeling of being part of an exclusive group of people given a chance by the initiative of Sam Altman to do something like this – I really loved that and appreciated it so much.
- Being able to be a part of something where your only fear is not dreaming big enough – with all the madness going on in the world, I felt totally blessed.
- Appreciative of my advisor who just “said it like it is” despite the little he could really know of what was happening behind the scenes. With all the startups he had to advise, there was no room for empathy and emotion which will be the case for most of us when speaking in front of investors.
- Collaboration and support from startups in your group gives you a “pay it forward” type of feeling where by just giving a little to someone else makes a huge emotional uplift for the rest of the day.
- Why are you really doing this? What is it all for? How do you know it’s worth it? Is it a feeling? An act of recognition? Funding? A front page cover? Everyone has their own reason, but I believe it’s those that have the biggest and most impactful reason will stay in the game longest and therefore have the bigger chance in well, getting a chance to see their startup meet the hands of consumers and see a much brighter sun than the one they can only see from their windows as they code the day and night away.
The final product after 10 weeks? This…
A big thanks to the Bob Hope Burbank Hollywood Airport security team that let me shoot this from a great spot at the parking garage rooftop! You guys respect the hustle.
Group 15, you guys kept it real.
To all those reading that want a complete list of video pitches from the YC Startup School, simply click here.
Best of luck and Illegitimi non carborundum
Ramy Ballout
Founder at AirLinked™ (www.airlinked.com). Opportunity at the Airport.